1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to methods and devices for the treatment of air of at least one room by air ionization wherein this ionization is realized by electrical discharge in ionization tubes or in corona discharge tubes.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that the room air and thus the breathing air can be treated with ionization apparatus. In this context, bacteria and other germs are killed and large molecules are split up into smaller molecule fragments. Complex and large molecules are, inter alia, odor-causing substances so that odor can be suppressed by means of air ionization. Moreover, it is even possible to eliminate room air loading situations which are detrimental to the health of persons in the room as well as to effectively reduce microorganisms in the air.
In ionization apparatus a high electrical field between two voltage potentials is used. For this purpose, as is known in the art, ionization tubes in the form of glass tubes are used in which the inner side is coaxially coated and the outer side is electrically conducting. When a sufficiently high electrical voltage is supplied, the glass of the wall forms a dielectric substance in which a large electrical field is present. The air flowing through is then enriched with ions. An important disadvantage is that starting at a certain voltage ozone is formed, and the ozone formation increases with increasing voltage.
In German patent document 43 34 956.0 C2 a method for the treatment of air with ions and a device for performing the method are described wherein the long- term stability of the ionization apparatus is increased. The discharge voltage is controlled such that the threshold for an increased ozone generation is never surpassed. As in the case of unloaded natural air, with the prior art method and the prior art device a minimum intensity of oxygen ions of approximately 5% as the lower process limit is technically maintained, and this corresponds substantially to the natural value. By means of the employed sensors, which are provided in the form of air-quality sensors, an airflow sensor, and an air humidity sensor, this minimum intensity within a load range can be substantially maintained.
When outer disturbance sources are present, i.e., an increased ozone loading in the ambient air, for example, in smog situations resulting from sun radiation, different situations in nature, for example, inverted weather situations, thunderstorms, outer energy fields, or in the case of inner disturbance sources, for example, in the form of electrical devices installed in the vicinity of air supply lines for transformation of voltage or frequencies, electromagnetic radiation, or other radiation, the loading with ozone in the supply air can increase undesirably and can lead to surpassing the limit value.